By WAYNE JOSEPH
By WAYNE JOSEPH
Tribune-Herald columnist
With the passing of Barry Gibb a few weeks ago I am reminded of something he said, “As long as you’re having fun, that’s the key. The moment it becomes a grind, it’s over.”
Fun is the key to becoming successful in anything we do and in preparing to do a story on Firefighter/EMT Kainoa Willey, nothing is more apparent.
Willey has put FUN into everything, from work to recreation and life in general.
“I work at the Kailua Fire Station in Kona and the job can get pretty stressful at times,” Willey said. “I can always find ways to decompress and let off some of that stress.”
Despite the high levels of stress being a firefighter and Emergency Medical Technician, Willey has found the secret to success.
“I absolutely love this job!” he said. “It’s more of a lifestyle than a job and I get to make a difference in people’s lives every single day I work.”
Willey also points to the variety of the job that keeps making each day exciting.
“There are so many different facets to the job that it always keeps me on my toes,” Willey said. “I never know what’s going to come across when I go to work and everyday is different with new learning experiences.”
Willey grew up with varied experiences and had an abundance of activities that he found to be fun.
“I was mostly home schooled through high school which gave me a lot of free time to do fun stuff, like surf, skate, ride and work with my dad building houses,” Willey said.
Willey never got involved in organized sports during his youth and ventured off into the world of “extreme” sports.
“I like surfing, skateboarding, BMX and motocross and any sport that involves a board, including snowboarding,” he said.
It wasn’t until Willey became a firefighter that he got involved with endurance sports, such as long distance running, swimming and canoe paddling.
“My training captain, Richard Fong, would have us do these crazy workouts that involved swimming, running, plyometrics and other circuit training that kind of got me into that type of activities,” Willey said.
From those early training activities with Captain Fong, the young Willey entered a few running races, then started to do a few marathons.
“It was the best physical training I’d ever received,” Willey said. “In recent years I’ve been getting more and more involved in the wa’a (canoe) culture that is rooted here in Hawaii.”
Willey has incorporated into his fitness routine paddling and sailing of canoes and has set a goal of building a canoe to sail to other islands.
“I try to do things that I love and that are also good for staying in shape,” Willey said. “I don’t like going to the gym, but I paddle, surf, swim, mountain bike and run.”
Two years ago Willey married a woman, Eva, who also shares in his love for ocean activities.
“It helps that my wife loves to do the same things I do, so we do a lot of these activities together,” he said.
For Willey, life revolves around the ocean and anything that helps keep him healthy and fit.
“I love doing anything that improves my relationship with the ocean,” he said. “To me that relationship with the ocean is key and land activities almost always are secondary to ocean activities.”
At work, Willey and his crew stay in shape by playing volleyball at the station when time permits.
“Playing volleyball is a fun way to exercise and be active,” he said. “We also swim and do other rescue training that is related to activities that we may be required to do while on the job.”
For diet, Willey was raised not to eat meat and has become an advocate for eating healthy.
“You can have a healthy diet that contains meat and on the flip side you can have an unhealthy diet that is vegetarian,” he said. “Just because you’re a vegetarian doesn’t mean you have a good diet.”
Willey is on a plant-based, whole-foods diet, that is considered optimum for him.
“Everyone is different and it really comes down to what works for you,” he said. “I don’t always get to eat as well as I would like to but I try to eat healthy.”
Willey is now preparing to participate in the annual EMS 4-mile run and 2-mile walk on Sunday, July 29.
“I’ve been involved with the EMS Run Committee for the past four years and my main task was to create and maintain a website for the run and design the EMS Run shirts,” Willey said.
If you’d like to check out Willey’s creation, go to www.hawaiiemsrun.com although the firefighter admits to not having any background in graphic design or web design.
The EMS run/walk is an opportunity for the Fire Department to interact with the community and build the relationship with the community they serve.
Willey would like to invite the public to come out on July 29, in support of your local Fire Department.
“It’s a fun event for the entire family,” he said.
Everything in Willey’s life is fun and it’s how this firefighter has decided to make things because it’s all about perception.
Willey will once again be running in the 4-mile race and this year the Big Dog will be doing the 2-mile walk and invites you to join him.
And someday should you see a happy, fun-loving retired teacher doing the EMS walk, remember to smile, say “woof” and never shy away from “Running with the Big Dog.”
Email the Big Dog at waiakeabigdog@aol.com.